Brawndo

Liger’s Response was about the US having the most reported cases of Covid, not about transferring patients upstate from NYC. And he was being sarcastic about that.

The inpatient censuses are starting to increase in WNY, BGH has expanded to three Covid Units in Ten Days, South Buffalo Mercy has gone from one to two units in the past few days. Testing turn around time is still 1-3 days here and the positive cases are being moved to St Joe’s. It’s looking like it’s going to get much worse before it gets better.

From the Athletic According to an NHL source, at least one team has submitted a lottery proposal that would include a tournament in which lottery teams play for the first-overall pick. At its face, the idea sounds radical but structured the right way this has the potential to be a real asset for the league. Without knowing the exact details of the proposal, there would have to be some assurances for the teams at the bottom of the standings that their odds of winning a lottery tournament resemble their odds of winning the lottery drawing now. That would mean home games for Ottawa and Detroit, with a fairly easy path to the championship. And likewise, a bubble team would have to go on an all-time run of games to win the lottery. This proposal would accomplish a couple of things. It would get all players back playing, rather than just playoff teams, which would help level the playing field for next season in terms of rest and time off between games. It would also engage fans of both playoff teams and lottery teams alike if games return. Imagine for a moment a lottery tournament final between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks for the rights to draft Alexis Lafreniere. Or a final between the Senators and Montreal Canadiens for the same thing. The television ratings in those markets would be off the charts. It would also give the NHL and NHLPA another property to sell to a network outside its current television deal. In the U.S., a tournament like this on ESPN in a summer in which there is less competition for the interest of sports fans would likely be very successful. If it works, the NHL might have something to build on moving forward. If it doesn’t? Never do it again. “Radical times call for radical measures,” said one NHL source. It’s fun to imagine. Even if it’s hard to imagine it actually happening. But right now, these are the kind of ideas being thrown around. People have the time and motivation for creativity. At this point, nothing should be off the table. From playoff format to lottery ideas. “The whole thing is the wild, wild West, man,” concluded an executive.

per Joe Yerdon

https://wp.me/p7aERq-eEL

Canadiens temporarily lay off 60 percent of personnel due to COVID-19 They have created a 6 Million Dollar Relief Fund to assist those laid off

As @WildCard and @darksabre have mentioned, their biggest impediment to purchasing a house is student loan debt. Now multiply that by entire generation, which composes 22% of the US population and you would be opening up quite a bit of spending power to provide a boost to the economy over the next 12-18 months went it most needed. The stimulus bill is going to upset people when it passed either way. Why not help as many people as possible? There will be income restrictions, starting at 100,000 which encompasses about 30% of the US Population. These measures would help the 70% of the population below this income level. Corporations are going to get assistance whether we like it or not, I personally believe there should be huge restrictions placed on how they get to spend government hand outs, ie no stock buybacks or executive bonuses.

TBH, forgiving Some Student Loan Debt should be included in the Stimulus Package moving through Congress right now.